Minletpan clashes force locals to flee into Thailand, hundreds still trapped in Myanmar

Fighting between the junta and the resistance coalition led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) around Minletpan Village near Lay Kay Kaw Town, south of Myawaddy in Karen State’s Myawaddy Township, has forced many residents to flee into Thailand, while hundreds of others remain trapped on the Myanmar side of the conflict zone.

A junta column of around 300 troops advanced toward Minletpan, a border village, on the banks of the Moei (Thaungyin) River, which forms the border between Myanmar and Thailand, on November 21, triggering clashes with the KNLA-led coalition.

As the fighting intensified, residents of Minletpan and nearby Inngyinmyaing Village fled their homes and sought refuge in Mae Konken, a border village on the Thai side. Meanwhile, more than 200 residents of Minletpan and Yathaytgu villages, and Lay Kay Kaw Town were unable to evacuate in time and remain trapped on the Myanmar side, according to a displaced local currently sheltering near the Thaungyin River.

“There are still a lot of people trapped around Minletpan. We're living in temporary tents along the riverbank right now. Junta planes don’t come here, but recently the regime units based in Shwenyaungpin have been shelling our area with artillery. Mae Konken is also packed with people displaced by the fighting,” he told KIC.

The junta’s shelling destroyed at least five houses in Minletpan and caused minor damage in Mae Konken, on the Thai side, according to local sources and Thai media.

The displaced population in the area is growing as newly displaced locals join those already uprooted, and they are in need of aid, including basic food supplies.

“If anyone wants to support us, you can send aid through the village elders in Mae Konken. The rules prohibit displaced people from working in Thailand, so some of us have already run out of food and are beginning to go hungry. We truly want to appeal to donors, because everyone here is suffering,” said a displaced woman in Mae Konken.

Before the current fighting, in early September, junta troops advancing along the Kawkareik-Myawaddy Highway toward Lay Kay Kaw clashed heavily with KNLA-led resistance forces, forcing locals to flee.

In recent clashes, junta troops suffered setbacks from fierce KNLA resistance and retreated from Minletpan, but they continue to hold positions around Yathaytgu Village and in the areas between Inngyinmyaing and Minletpan.